Bioedge: A married couple in the Netherlands tried over and over to conceive, but in their early 30s they discovered that the husband produced no sperm. Donor sperm from a stranger would mean the child would not share genes with the husband. The husband had no brothers who could donate, so the couple hit upon a novel solution –the husband’s father. This would produce a child whose “father” is his biological half-brother, and whose “grandfather” is his biological father. All of the parties were at ease with this situation, so they went to a fertility clinic with their idea. After a bit of umming and ahing, the clinic agreed. While uncommon, donations of sperm, egg or womb from family members to couples trying to conceive do occur. These arrangements bring their own complications – especially the potential confusion over who the father is. According to some experts, the emotional toll on the child might be too great to justify the procedure. “The notion that this child's grandfather would be his biological father is just too bizarre for the child's sake,” said George Annas, of the Boston University School of Public Health. “Family relationships are confused enough as they are when they're not intergenerational,” Annas said. The couple's case was reported in the March 7 issue of the journal Human Reproduction. ~ Source: Bioedge
